Need advise on purchase1988 SeaRay 300 sundancer

Since everyone else has pretty much covered the areas of concern, how much for the dog?
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Juliery said:
I'll chime in once more to say that there are many older boats WITHOUT rot issues. Alarmists, like David Pascoe (RIP) and armchair "experts", make out like every Sea Ray is rotten right from the factory. Don't believe them. Check the transom yourself by sounding and by removing a few screws (used to attach transducers, trim tabs, etc.) to probe with a awl. Also, pull hard sideways on the drives to check for transom flex. It should feel rock-solid. Weeping stains may indicate problems, as well. Anytime you make a hole or remove a screw seal it with 5200. Stringers can often be checked in similar ways - wire looms and hoses may have cable ties or restraints screwed into stringers. Pull the screws and probe. Limber holes are easily checked visually and by probing. But why were the bilges wet in the first place? The decks are balsa cored so check near attachments there, as well. Older boats rot as a result of poor secondary installations, lack of care and neglected maintenance. Many of the older boats were someone's baby and were well cared for. You can tell the difference.

Edit: I will also add that all smaller boats built before the sixties were built of wood. They didn't just mysteriously rot away in 20 or 30 years. But owners looked after them. I fished as a kid from my Dad's 16 foot clinker-built boat, built of fir and cedar. It's probably still out there. Some fiberglass boat manufacturers used Douglas Fir marine ply in the transoms and Yellow Cedar in encapsulated stringers - naturally rot resistant. Even Bayliner did. Please note that fresh water, plus warmth and oxygen can and will advance bacterial and fungus (a type of plant) growth, creating wood rot when conditions are right. Saltwater does not - salty, wet wood is effectively pickled.
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First, you ain't touching any screws on my boat until your check clears. :) Moisture meters and a sounding hammer is the initial check.

Second, in additional to aftermarket installs gone bad, a lot of mass production boats suffer from eventual rot because of the corners cut by manufacturers. The failure to epoxy seal every hold in the deck, transom, or stringer causes untold amounts of damage. (See SBWs comments about open limber holes) Sure every boat isn't rotten to the core, but many have issues. I have been looking at 1999-2002 340s and 5 out of 7 had serious moisture issues in the deck, a well known problem on that model -- the result of a manufacturing defect.
 
sbw1 said:
View attachment 101301
Sea Rays from the 80s almost always have moisture issues in the stringers. I/O boats like this almost always have moisture issues in the transoms unless they were kept on a lift or trailer. The fix involves removing engines, water heaters and other things so the wood can be removed and replaced. That is a lot of work and expensive. Also noticed the fire suppression system is halon which is no longer allowed. If the bottle does not weigh out, it will need replacement with an approved system. If it is grandfathered, halon may no longer be available or may be very expensive. The limber holes in this boat are not glassed unless they have be modified. That needs to happen to protect the stringers. I would be more concerned about these issues than the engines which are straightforward to repair. They will likely need some work too.
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THank you!
 
Juliery said:
I'll chime in once more to say that there are many older boats WITHOUT rot issues. Alarmists, like David Pascoe (RIP) and armchair "experts", make out like every Sea Ray is rotten right from the factory. Don't believe them. Check the transom yourself by sounding and by removing a few screws (used to attach transducers, trim tabs, etc.) to probe with a awl. Also, pull hard sideways on the drives to check for transom flex. It should feel rock-solid. Weeping stains may indicate problems, as well. Anytime you make a hole or remove a screw seal it with 5200. Stringers can often be checked in similar ways - wire looms and hoses may have cable ties or restraints screwed into stringers. Pull the screws and probe. Limber holes are easily checked visually and by probing. But why were the bilges wet in the first place? The decks are balsa cored so check near attachments there, as well. Older boats rot as a result of poor secondary installations, lack of care and neglected maintenance. Many of the older boats were someone's baby and were well cared for. You can tell the difference.

Edit: I will also add that all smaller boats built before the sixties were built of wood. They didn't just mysteriously rot away in 20 or 30 years. But owners looked after them. I fished as a kid from my Dad's 16 foot clinker-built boat, built of fir and cedar. It's probably still out there. Some fiberglass boat manufacturers used Douglas Fir marine ply in the transoms and Yellow Cedar in encapsulated stringers - naturally rot resistant. Even Bayliner did. Please note that fresh water, plus warmth and oxygen can and will advance bacterial and fungus (a type of plant) growth, creating wood rot when conditions are right. Saltwater does not - salty, wet wood is effectively pickled.
Click to expand...
Thank you!
 
Juliery said:
I'll chime in once more to say that there are many older boats WITHOUT rot issues. Alarmists, like David Pascoe (RIP) and armchair "experts", make out like every Sea Ray is rotten right from the factory. Don't believe them. Check the transom yourself by sounding and by removing a few screws (used to attach transducers, trim tabs, etc.) to probe with a awl. Also, pull hard sideways on the drives to check for transom flex. It should feel rock-solid. Weeping stains may indicate problems, as well. Anytime you make a hole or remove a screw seal it with 5200. Stringers can often be checked in similar ways - wire looms and hoses may have cable ties or restraints screwed into stringers. Pull the screws and probe. Limber holes are easily checked visually and by probing. But why were the bilges wet in the first place? The decks are balsa cored so check near attachments there, as well. Older boats rot as a result of poor secondary installations, lack of care and neglected maintenance. Many of the older boats were someone's baby and were well cared for. You can tell the difference.

Edit: I will also add that all smaller boats built before the sixties were built of wood. They didn't just mysteriously rot away in 20 or 30 years. But owners looked after them. I fished as a kid from my Dad's 16 foot clinker-built boat, built of fir and cedar. It's probably still out there. Some fiberglass boat manufacturers used Douglas Fir marine ply in the transoms and Yellow Cedar in encapsulated stringers - naturally rot resistant. Even Bayliner did. Please note that fresh water, plus warmth and oxygen can and will advance bacterial and fungus (a type of plant) growth, creating wood rot when conditions are right. Saltwater does not - salty, wet wood is effectively pickled.
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Pascoe never met a Searay he liked. RIP. He prolly writing most the one star reviews on Amazon.
 
Pirate Lady said:
Pascoe never met a Searay he liked. RIP. He prolly writing most the one star reviews on Amazon.
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So true, in fact if it wasn't a Hatteras, Hinckley or Viking he couldn't say a good word. Most surveyors will consider the cost and intended use of a boat in their opinions. Pascoe seemed to think regular folks didn't deserve to own a decent boat and he worked very hard to terrorize many potential buyers. He was just another cranky yacht snob but masquerading as a competent surveyor.
 
Juliery. Not sure who all you were referring to as armchair rot experts, but can tell you first hand, Sea Ray had manufacturing issues with some of their boats. Mine was a mess under the lower deck which looked great from the outside when I bought it. It also had a real poor job done at the main joint under the rub rail. These are fairly common problems popping up on this and other sites with these boats with any age to them. I'm not a Sea Ray basher and wouldn't trade mine for something valued 3 times what I have into it.
The OP asked for thoughts and they have been shared. Would you rather he bought something blind without any and returned later to share his hardships?
 
Pirate Lady said:
Pascoe never met a Searay he liked. RIP. He prolly writing most the one star reviews on Amazon.
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While true. He did point out a lot of easily fixable issues with Sea Rays and other boats. For those of us who can't afford the Hat or Viking, at least we know what to look for and what to fix on our "cheap" boats.
 
Thornton69 said:
Juliery. Not sure who all you were referring to as armchair rot experts, but can tell you first hand, Sea Ray had manufacturing issues with some of their boats. Mine was a mess under the lower deck which looked great from the outside when I bought it. It also had a real poor job done at the main joint under the rub rail. These are fairly common problems popping up on this and other sites with these boats with any age to them. I'm not a Sea Ray basher and wouldn't trade mine for something valued 3 times what I have into it.
The OP asked for thoughts and they have been shared. Would you rather he bought something blind without any and returned later to share his hardships?
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Chill! I'm not disputing your personal experience.
"Would you rather he bought something blind without any and returned later to share his hardships?" No.
Instead of "pulling a Pascoe" and instilling disproportionate fear, I believe I actually provided some useful advice and simple methods that would help anyone avoid "buying something blind." The internet is filled with many scary tales. Much of that is poorly supported by evidence and fact. Sure, older production boats of any manufacture will have occasional issues, especially if poorly cared for, but generally the older Sea Rays offer informed buyers exceptional value.
 
@Irina S Forgive me if this has already been pointed out. The serial #'s in the pics "OC" series match 1989 - 1990 years. Not necessarily a bad thing, but a few things to consider if those are the actual #'s.
-the hours are probably close to accurate
-Gen 1 was replaced with Gen 2 in 1990 and are not fully interchangeable. Will drive up repair costs if you find yourself converting to Gen 2.

As mentioned, age is not necessarily a bad sign, eventually corrosion leads to repairs. IMO it's a balancing act of getting the boat you want for the total cost, e.g. I spent a lot on mechanical repairs, but I got my 85 260 cheap, in total I got the boat I wanted for less than the sales tax of a new one and no payment.

For those interested in more about the Gen 1 vs Gen 2, I found this site helpful. https://www.perfprotech.com/blog/articles/alpha1-alpha2-sterndrives
 
Looks like a nice boat. Lots of good advice given here. The only thing I would add is are you lookin for an I/O sundancer or would you consider an inboard weekender? The weekender has inboard motors with straight drives. The Sundancer has the Alpha outdrives. In my opinion the inboards and straight drives are a much more reliable maintenance free set up for a boat that is kept in the water. You have to give up the aft cabin with the inboards (weekender) but you gain a flat floor in the cockpit. Nice thing is you can stand up and drive the weekender much more comfortably than the Sundancer because of the flat floor. Also less chance of having a wet transom without the outdrive cutouts. I have a 1987 weekender and love the boat. It is hard to find one of this vintage without some moisture in it somewhere
 
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